Check out some quotes from this article:

That's the way one American League executive summarized A-Rod's disturbingly uneven performance: good enough for MVP-like numbers in the regular season, but an abysmal failure in October, just like Winfield. "George is stuck with him," is what the executive said of Rodriguez.

Five more years, $131 million, to be exact. Steinbrenner is already looking for someone to hold accountable for the way the third baseman has melted since Game 3 of last year's AL Championship Series. ...

There'll be some revisionist whispering that it's Torre's fault -that, somehow, he didn't get in A-Rod's face often enough, as if suddenly that was Rodriguez's missing medicine. Torre was initially the perfect antidote to Buck Showalter, whom A-Rod despised for his manipulative ways. In comparison to Showalter, Torre is a straight-ahead, no-agenda manager, which is what every major-leaguer wishes for. ...

A-Rod? He's the game's most talented player, but the mystery of his demons elude everyone. The friend said Rodriguez was "totally blown away, totally bewildered" by his .133 average against the Angels. ...

Torre is the one who'll take the fall for Rodriguez, even though no manager can teach a player to react gracefully under pressure. It was third base coach Luis Sojo who nailed A-Rod's problem Wednesday when he said, "In this game, you've got to be mentally strong. If you're not strong mentally you're done."

I really think that there is some serious sensationalizing going on here.

First, Winfield. I checked his numbers (something I've never done before). He got a raw deal, really. He played in one postseason with the Yankees, 14 games in all and he hit .181 with 4 R, 0 HR and 3 RBI. Bad, yes. But, Dave Winfield was a great player - a hall of famer. He didn't get another chance. He did get another chance in 1992 with Toronto at the age of 40 and did a little better, bringing his career postseason batting average up to .208 in 26 games. Not good, but at the same time... he was branded for his time with the Yankees. Yet, he never really got much time. Let's look at A-Rod...

In 31 postseason games, he is hitting .305 with 6 home runs, 19 runs and 16 RBI. Excellent numbers. So, he has had 1 and 1/2 bad series. Whoop di do. Seriously. He played bad and it killed me, but let's keep it in perspective here. "Stuck with him?" Look at us, we're stuck with what many consider to be the greatest player in baseball and one of the greatest of all time. Are we nuts? Anyway, the article is wrong on the finances (I sent Mr. Klapisch an e-mail on this) - the Yankees aren't on the hook for 5 years/$131 million, they're on the hook for 5 years/$80 million. $16 million a year. That's a steal.

There is no one to hold accountable. This is baseball. This is what happens. Anyone can beat anyone and people go through streaks. That's baseball. It happens to everyone, including the best. Torre is the right kind of manager and I think the whole "A-Rod's demons" thing is a joke that is mainly pushed along by the media. I don't really have any concerns over A-Rod's mental state. Grounding into a DP in the 9th inning of a deciding game is crushing, but I feel he'll be fine. I'd want no other person playing third base for the Yankees. He's the best. By far.